Vedita went straight into the room.
The door closed behind her with a soft thud.
The light was dim inside. The room still carried traces of everything that had happened earlier, but Vedita didn't sit down immediately. She stood near the window for a long time, fingers loosely holding the edge of her pallu.
Her mind wasn't steady.
The words still echoed somewhere....unfinished and repetitive.
A soft knock broke her thoughts.
Ved entered without waiting for a response.
His eyes moved to her instantly.
"Yahan aise kyu khadi hai? Kya hua hai?"
("Why are you standing here like this? What happened?")
Vedita turned toward him.
For a moment, she looked at him like she wanted to say everything.
Then she didn't.
Instead, she gave a small smile.
"Aisa kuch nahi hai."
("Nothing like that.")
Ved's eyes narrowed slightly. He stepped closer, studying her face.
"Vedita." His voice was lower now. "Mujhse kuch chhupa rahi hai?"
("Are you hiding something from me?")
She shook her head softly.
"Sach mein kuch nahi hai."
("It's really nothing.")
But her hands betrayed her-fingers tightening around the fabric of her saree.
Ved noticed it. Of course he did.
Still, he didn't press further. Not yet.
After a pause, he exhaled and shifted his tone.
"Thik hai. Phir aaram kar le thoda."
("Alright. Then take some rest.")
He gently kissed her forehead and walked towards the door.
He turned slightly, but his eyes lingered on her for a second longer than usual-like he was memorizing something he couldn't read. He could feel that she was disturbed from something but thought he would ask her at night.
Outside, everyone was preparing to leave for the temple.
Sarla Chachi was already speaking in a controlled, purposeful tone.
"Aaj ghar ki sab auratein mandir chalengi, maine mannat mangi thi Renu ke liye."
("Today all the women will go to the temple. I wished for Renu well being.")
Chhavi immediately agreed.
"Haan Kaki, theek rahega. Sabko saath chalna chahiye."
("Yes Kaki, it will be good. Everyone should go together.")
One by one, the plan was shaped casually ... .like it was tradition, not intent.They didn't mention Vedita directly.
But the glances did.
When the group prepared to leave,Suman called from the front.
"Vedita bhi chalegi na?"
("Vedita will also come, right?")
Sarla paused first but then politely agreed.
"Ha ha, use bhi le chalo."
("Yes...Yes... take her too.")
Suman nodded then said
"Thik hai toh main usse bula kar kastu hu"
("Okay then I'll call her.")
After a while Suman came back along with Vedita following her.
Rajeshwari noticed Vedita's red eyes and pale face.
"Vedita,kya hua beta? Aise chehra kyu utra hua hai?"
("Vedita, what happened child? Why your face is looking so pale?")
Vedita wanted to cry in her arms and ask is it true that she is cursed? That she can never be happy. But she didn't, she just shook her head and denied
"Bas thodi tabiyat thik nahi lag rahi,maa."
("I'm just not feeling well ")
"Toh tum Jana rehne do beta aur aaram karo"
("Then you shouldn't go and have done rest daughter ")
But Sarla interrupted before Vedita could answer
"Arey kuch nahi hota jiji....Bahar jayegi toh thoda accha lagega usse"
("Nothing happens sister... She will feel good after going out.")
Rajeshwari didn't say anything as Vedita agreed with Sarla.
---------
The temple stood at the edge of the village, white stone warming under the afternoon sun.
The women gathered inside, voices soft, bells ringing in uneven rhythm.
Sarla's gaze moved slowly...measuring time, waiting for the right moment when no one was paying attention.
Then, casually, she turned toward Vedita.
"Beta, mandir ke peeche wale baag se thode taaze phool le aayegi?"
("Daughter, can you get some fresh flowers from the garden behind the temple?")
Chhavi added quickly, almost sweetly:
"Haan, wahan par sabse achhe milte hain. Jaldi aa jaana."
("Yes, the best ones are there. Come quickly.")
It was said lightly.Almost lovingly.
But the direction was already set.
Vedita nodded once.
"Ji."
("Yes.")
And she turned away.
Chavi whispered in a low voice,"Ab aayega na maza"
-------
Flashback ~
The storeroom was dim, smelling heavily of old grain, damp jute bags and decay. Dust motes danced lazily in the single sliver of harsh sunlight cutting through a high, barred window. In the center stood an old lady,the midwife of the village whom everyone called kaki. Her hunched frame casting a long, distorted shadow against the mud walls.
Chavi stepped inside, her footsteps entirely silent on the earthen floor. She held a small velvet pouch tightly in her hand.
"Kya woh taiyar hai?" ("Is it ready?")
Without a word, Kaki reached into the deep folds of her saree and pulled out a small clay vial, sealed with dark wax. The liquid inside shifted-sluggish, thick, and a murky brown, like stagnant pond water.
"Yeh bilkul wahi hai jo tumne maanga tha," Kaki whispered, a low chuckle rattling in her throat. "Yeh use maarega nahi, par use aisa mehsoos karayega jaise woh har pal mar rahi ho. Kampan, peelaapan, thandi pasina... sab bilkul shraap jaisa dikhega."
("It is exactly as you requested. It won't kill her, but it will make her feel as though she is dying every moment. The tremors, the pallor, the cold sweat... it will all look exactly like the curse.")
Chavi took the vial, lifting it into the thin beam of light. She swirled it slowly, watching the dark sludge cling to the sides.
"Aur asar? Kitne din?" ("And the effects? How long?")
"Pet mein jalan hogi. Dil aise chalega jaise seene se baahar aa jayega," Kaki grinned, revealing her stained, yellowed teeth. "Gale mein aag aur sharir mein barf jaisa ehsaas hoga. Anpadh aankhon ko yeh adhyatmik sankat lagega, aur bade se bade doctor ko dheere-dheere phailta zehar. Par jab tak doctor asliyat dhoondega... tab tak uski badnaami ka kaam ho chuka hoga."
("The stomach will burn. The heart will race as if it wants to burst from her chest. Fire in her throat, ice in her veins. To ignorant eyes, it will look like a spiritual crisis; to the best doctors, a slow poison. But by the time a doctor finds the truth... the damage to her reputation will already be done.")
Chavi dropped the heavy velvet pouch into Kaki's waiting palm. The sharp, metallic clink of silver coins was the only sound in the suffocating room.
"Dhyan rahe, woh khud tumhare paas aaye. Koi zabardasti nahi," Chavi warned, her eyes turning cold. "Use lagna chahiye ki yeh pavitrata paane ka uska apna faisla tha. Uska guilt hi hamara sabse bada hathiyar hai."
("Make sure she comes to you on her own. No force. She must believe seeking purity was her own choice. Her guilt is our greatest weapon.")
Kaki sneered. "Woh pehle se hi apne aap ko ek rakshas samajh chuki hai, bachi. Mujhe bas use yeh jataana tha ki us rakshas ka pinjra mere paas hai."
("She already believes she is a monster, child. I only had to make her realize that I hold the cage for that monster.")
"Achha hai," Chavi murmured. "Ek baar woh ise pee le, toh woh hamesha ke liye ek bojh ban jayegi. Ved apna poora waqt ek marti hui aurat ko sambhalne mein nikaal dega, gaon ki zimmedari nahi sambhal payega. Woh thak jayega... naraz ho jayega. Aur jab woh usse nafrat karne lagega, tab hum use is daldal se baahar nikalne ka raasta dikhayenge."
("Good. Once she drinks it, she becomes a lifelong burden. Ved will spend all his time nursing a dying woman instead of ruling this village. He will grow tired... resentful. And when he begins to hate her, we will be there to show him a way out of the swamp.")
Suddenly, a silhouette blocked the sunlight in the doorway. Sarla Chachi stepped into the room, her eyes instantly fixing onto the brown liquid. She reached out, her long, sharp fingernail tapping against the cold clay of the vial.
"Kya jaal bich gaya?" ("Is the trap set?")
Chavi smiled, a sharp, cruel expression. "Chhura tayyar hai, Chachi. Aur shikaar pehle se hi hamare jhoot ka bhookha baitha hai."
("The blade is ready, Chachi. And the prey is already starving for our lie.")
Sarla Chachi looked at the vial, a faint, mocking sigh escaping her lips. "Shuddhata... kitna khoobsurat shabd hai na, kisi ladki ko zinda barbaad karte waqt?"
("Purity... such a beautiful word to use while destroying a young girl alive, isn't it?")
Chavi tucked the vial safely into her own clothes, turning back toward the exit.
"Sabse asardar jhoot, Chachi... hamesha dharam aur pavitrata ke kapde pehankar hi aata hai."
("The most effective lies, Chachi... always arrive wearing the clothes of faith and purity.")
_________
The path was a narrow strip of beaten orange clay, flanked by towering banyan trees whose aerial roots hang like gnarled fingers. The heat of the afternoon is oppressive, making the horizon shimmer.
Vedita walked alone, carrying a brass plate with incense, flowers and a small lamp. The silence of the path is broken only by the distant lowing of cattle.
As she nears towards the old Shiva temple again, a figure emerges from the shadows of a crumbling stone arch.
It was Kaki, the village's midwife, a woman whose face is a map of deep wrinkles and whose eyes hold a cold, knowing sharpness.
"Ruk ja, beti. Itni jaldi mein kahan ja rahi hai?"
("Stop, daughter. Where are you going in such a hurry?")
Vedita stopped. Her fingers tighten slightly around the brass plate.
"Pranaam, Kaki. Mandir mein puja ke liye ja rahi hoon."
("Greetings, Kaki. I am going for prayer at the temple.")
Kaki steps closer. The smell of dried herbs, ash, and something metallic clings to her like old memory. Her fingers suddenly grip Vedita's wrist...unexpectedly firm.
"Thik toh hai na tu? Chehra dekh... rang hi ud gaya hai tera."
("Are you really fine? Look at your face... all colour has left it.")
She lowers her voice.
"Woh shraap... abhi bhi tere andar saans le raha hai na? Main mehsoos kar sakti hu usse."
("That curse... it still breathes inside you, doesn't it? I can feel it.")
"Shraap kuch nahi hota, Kaki. Main...main bilkul theek hoon."
("There is no curse, Kaki. I am perfectly fine.")
Kaki gives a short, bitter laugh.
"Apne aap se toh jhoot mat bol, beti. Main teri aankhon mein dekh sakti hoon. Teri ragon mein abhi bhi woh mail beh raha hai."
("At least don't lie to yourself, daughter. I can see it in your eyes. That impurity still runs in your veins.")
She leans closer.
"Agar ise saaf nahi kiya, toh yeh Thakur ko bhi le doobega, thik waise jaise teri maa ke saath hua tha."
("If you don't cleanse this, it will drag Thakur down too-just like it did your mother.")
Vedita's eyes widened at the sudden mention of her mother. The breath caught in her throat.
"Kya... kya kehna chahti hain aap? Kya hua tha meri maa ke saath?"
("What... what are you trying to say? What happened to my mother?")
Kaki's fingers tightened around her wrist, digging into the skin, anchoring herself to a memory she was about to weaponize. Her voice dropped, growing heavy enough to crush the surrounding silence.
"Tujhe lagta hai woh naseeb tha? Tujhe lagta hai Bhagwan ne kiya woh sab?" Kaki murmured. A thin, tired smile touched her cracked lips.
("You think that was fate? You think God did that?")
She let out a sharp breath through her nose, as if weighing whether to be merciful or cruel. Then, she leaned in until Vedita could smell the bitter betel leaf on her breath, studying every flicker of doubt crossing the girl's face.
"Us raat main wahi thi," Kaki said, her voice dropping to a harsh whisper. "Mainne hi teri maa ko sambhala tha. Aur mainne hi tere un chhote, kaanpte hue haathon ko bhi dekha tha."
("I was there that night. I was the one who held your mother. And I was the one who saw those tiny, trembling hands of yours.")
A pause. Intentional. Controlled.
"Tu ro rahi thi. Bahut zor se. Sab keh rahe the-baccha surakshit hai, maa bhi bach jayegi." Kaki's gaze sharpened, pinning Vedita to the spot. "Par tu... tu rukne ko taiyaar nahi thi."
("You were crying. So loudly. Everyone was saying-the child is safe, the mother will pull through. But you... you weren't ready to stop.")
The words landed heavily, like stones dropping into a deep well.
Kaki straightened slightly, her tone softening into something eerie, almost reverent....like a priestess revealing a dark secret.
"Jis pal tera rona tez hua... theek usi pal unki saansein tootne lagin. Mainne apni aankhon se dekha tha, Vedita. Teri maa ke jism se kuch khinch raha tha... jaise teri hi chhaya un par girkar unka dum ghot rahi ho."
("The moment your crying intensified... at that exact moment, her breaths began to shatter. I saw it with my own eyes, Vedita. Something was being pulled from your mother's body... as if your own shadow had fallen over her, suffocating her.")
A heavy beat of silence.
"Andar kuch tha tere. Kuch jo paidaish se hi tere khoon mein daud raha hai." Kaki raised a trembling finger, pointing not at Vedita, but at the empty, heavy air between them. "Wahi shrap."
("There was something inside you. Something that has been running in your blood since birth. That very same curse.")
The silence stretched, suffocating. Kaki's voice lowered even further, turning intimate, almost affectionate in its malice.
"Mainne tab sach nahi bola... socha dayi hoon, log mujhe hi jhootha kahenge. Ilzaam mere sar madh diya jayega." She exhaled slowly, a sound of rehearsed, hollow regret. "Par aaj main chup nahi rahungi."
("I didn't speak the truth back then... I thought, I'm just a midwife, people will call me a liar. The blame will be pinned on me. But today, I will not stay silent.")
She tilted her head, her eyes boring into Vedita's pale face, delivering the final blow.
"Agar tu us raat ko apna gunaah nahi manegi... toh aaj Thakur ke saath jo kuch bhi hoga, uska bojh bhi tere hi kandhon par aayega. Ab tu bata, Vedita... apni maa ka khoon peene ke baad, kya ab Thakur ki baari hai?"
("If you don't accept that night as your sin... then whatever happens to Thakur today, its burden will also fall squarely on your shoulders. Now tell me, Vedita... after consuming your own mother, is it Thakur's turn now?")
The heavy thud of the brass plate clattering against the silence.
Vedita stumbled backward, her knees buckling. Her hands fly to her ears, pressing down so hard her knuckles turn white, as if she could physically block out the venom of Kaki's words.
"Nahi... Nahi... yeh sab sach nahi hai..."
She shakes her head violently, tears blurring her vision, turning Kaki's sharp face into a twisted, mocking shadow. Her breath comes in ragged, suffocating gasps.
"Mainne apni maa... ko... nahi maara... Nahi... maara mainne..."
("No...No... it's not true.... I didn't kill my mother. I didn't kill her....")
The words choked her, catching in her throat like ash. She sinked to the ground, her fingers digging into her hair, desperate to shut out the echoing memory of a night she was too young to remember, yet suddenly forced to carry.
Kaki didn't move. She merely looked down at the trembling girl, her expression cold and unyielding, watching the guilt take root exactly where she planted it.
From her saree folds, Kaki pulls out a small clay vial. The liquid inside is thick, dull brown....almost lifeless.
"Yeh le. Purani vidhi hai. Pee le ise. Tere shareer ki saari ashuddhi nikal jayegi."
("Take this. An old remedy. Drink it. It will purge all the impurity from your body.")
Vedita stared at the vial, her chest still heaving from her panic. She pulled her hands away, shrinking back against the grassed land.
"Mujhe kisi dawa ki zaroorat nahi hai... Main bimar nahi hoon."
("I don't need any medicine... I am not sick.")
Kaki's tone softens, dropping into a low, honeyed register that is infinitely more terrifying than her anger.
"Yeh dawa nahi hai, beti. Yeh pavitrata hai."
("This is not medicine, daughter. This is purity.")
She tilts her head, studying Vedita with the patience of a spider.
"Tu sach mein nahi chahti ki tu Thakur ki patni kehlaane laayak bane? Tu chahti hai tera saaya use dhire dhire kha jaye?"
("Don't you truly want to be worthy of being Thakur's wife? Do you want your shadow to slowly eat him alive?")
The word pavitrata-purity-lingers in the damp air. Vedita hesitates. A crack, small but fatal, splinters her certainty.
"Pee le chupchaap," Kaki presses, stepping closer until Vedita can feel the heat of her breath. "Agar Thakur ko pata chala, toh woh sochega tu kamzor hai... ashuddh hai. Use pehle hi itni fikar rehti hai teri... ab aur pareshan karna chahti hai kya?"
("Drink it quietly. If Thakur finds out, he will think you are weak... impure. He already worries about you so much... do you want to burden him further?")
That is what shattered her resistance. Not Kaki's dominance. Not a belief in the curse. But the sheer terror of being a burden to Ved.
Trembling, Vedita reached out and took the cold clay vial. She breaks the wax seal with her thumb. The smell hits her instantly-pungent, sharp, smelling like wet earth and rotting roots.
She brings it toward her lips. Kaki's eyes gleam, watching intently.
But then suddenly-
"Bahu-ji!"
A desperate, high-pitched shout shattered the quiet of the area.
Vedita jumped on her feet, the vial nearly slipping from her fingers. She quickly hide it behind her back, her heart hammering against her ribs. Kaki cursed under her breath, taking a swift step back into the shadows.
A young servant boy comes tearing around the corner, barefoot, his face pale and slick with sweat.
"Bahu-ji! Jaldi chaliye!" He was panting, pointing wildly towards the direction.
"Thakur Shahab... Thakur Shabh...ghayal hain! Unhe... unhe kisi saap ne kata hai, behosh ho gaye hain wahan!"
("Bahu-ji! Come quickly! Thakur Shabh... Thakur Shahab is injured! He... some snake bit him, he has fainted there!")
The world stopped..The blood drained entirely from Vedita's face. The air in her lungs turns to lead.
"...yeh Thakur ko bhi le doobega, theek waise hi jaise teri maa ke saath hua tha."
(...it will drag Thakur down too, just like it did your mother.)
Kaki's words echo violently in her skull, drowning out the servant's continued shouting.
"Ved..." Vedita whispers, the name tearing from her throat.
She doesn't look back at Kaki. She just ran.She ran down the long path to haveli bare feet, her dupatta slipping from her head, dragging across the road but she didn't care.
When she bursts into the haveli, a small crowd has already gathered near the verandah.
She pushed through them blindly.
Ved lied on the wooden charpay, his face frighteningly pale. His breath was shallow, ragged. A dark, swollen mark sits ugly and bruised on his leg.
"Ved!" She fell on her knees beside him, grabbing his cold hand. "Kya hua inhe? Arjun kaha hai? Jaldi bulao unhe! Jaldi!"
("Ved! What happened to him? Where is Arjun? Call him quickly! Quickly!")
There were a few gasps and murmurs here and there seeing her calling his name like this but Vedita only cared about her husband right now.
"Khet ki taraf gaye the, kisi zehreele saanp ne kaat liya," an older worker stammered. "Arjun babu, gaon mein nahi hai.Vaidya ji ko bulaya hai."
("He went toward the fields, some snake bit him. Arjun isn't in the village.We have called the physician.")
Vedita stared at Ved's ashen face. Her mind spirals, the terror gripping her by the throat.
"Tu sach mein nahi chahti ki tera saaya use kha jaye?"
"(Do you really not want your shadow to eat him alive?)"
She looked down at her own hand, still tightly clutching the small clay vial hidden in the folds of her saree. Her breathing grew shallow.
It wasn't a snake. It wasn't an accident. It was her.
Her curse. Her impurity. Just like her mother.
With shaking hands, she stepped back from the charpoy, retreating into the shadows of the doorway where no one is looking. Her eyes were locked on Ved's shallow, struggling chest.
Tears spilled hot and fast down her cheeks
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